Before proceeding on with the pros and cons of marijuana legalization, it would be ideal to know first what marijuana is and why it has been legalized in some parts of the world. Weed is the blossom of a cannabis plant which is then dried and will be used for recreational and medical purposes.

People Smoking Marijuana
Crowd of Marijuana Smokers

For some people, smoking marijuana enhances them spiritually as well. Before the 20th century, marijuana was not well regulated since it is linked to crimes and violence which happened at that time. With that much argument about its effects, marijuana was then declared to be illegal in some states.

For the pros and cons of marijuana legalization, there are a lot of questions surrounding it especially when it comes to its cons. There are already 13 states in the US that have allowed the use of marijuana primarily for medical purposes. So despite the progress towards marijuana legalization, there are so many things that are still in question about it.

Pros Of Marijuana Legalization

Of all the pros stated about the legalization of marijuana, one that was listed is how much money it makes. But then this is just one example of marijuana legalization pros and there are still things that will add up to the list.

Here are the rest of those pros:

  • Some people claim that using weed is as harmful as smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol but then they are both legal. If that’s the case, then there’s no reason why marijuana shouldn’t be made legal.
  • There are studies which show that marijuana has a lot of medical benefits which includes helping those people that have AIDS, cancer and glaucoma.
  • Since the revenue that growers make with this drug is going off the roof, it results to a decrease in illegal activities that revolves around the drug.
  • The legalization of marijuana will also ensure that freedom of choice is not intruded upon in any way.
  • In California, a research shows that the legalization of marijuana could generate revenue of USD 14billion. Through this statistic, it will definitely help the country’s economic problems.
Pros & Cons
Advantages & Disadvantages

Cons Of Marijuana Legalization

The case that prevents marijuana from being legalized has raised a few eyebrows even until this day. Many are still in question about it especially on the harmful effects that it can do to your body.

  • If a person smokes weed too often and for a very long time, it can easily cause some severe effects on the health and their well-being.
  • Some studies consider marijuana as some sort of a gateway drug. Prolonged use can lead the user to also using other more harmful drugs such as cocaine and heroin. This case can easily occur to young teens since they might have started using it at a very early age.
  • Several opponents of marijuana legalization think that sellers can get involved in several other criminal and illegal activities. They also think that several law enforcement agencies who agree to the legalization of marijuana are a bit off.
  • Smoking marijuana is also considered an immoral way of deliberating social activities and needs to be kept under regulated use. But then this act is still taken into careful consideration by lawmakers who legalized marijuana in their states.
  • If a person smokes too much marijuana, it can have some severe effects on a person’s head so this is also one of the reasons why distribution of the drug should be kept under control.